DENTAL HYGIENE CLINIC

Welcome to the Lakeland Dental Hygiene Clinic. The clinic is open to interested adults and children in the community. Appointments must be made in advance.

The clinic is open early September through early May. Clinic hours vary each semester. Please contact the dental hygiene secretary at 440.525.7220 for exact times to schedule an appointment.

Services

The services will be performed by a dental hygiene student under the supervision of licensed dentists and dental hygiene faculty. Services performed are limited to preventive treatment and are not intended to take the place of a dental examination. Preventive treatment provided includes:

Treatment in the clinic proceeds at a slower pace than a dental office since the services are performed by the students and carefully evaluated by instructors. Usually preventive patient visits to the clinic take two or three appointments for 1-3 hours each visit. We want to provide you with the best possible care, so please be patient. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.

New Patients

For patients new to the clinic a short (20-30 minutes) screening appointment is necessary prior to being scheduled for preventive services. At this time a medical and dental overview is made in order to determine length/number of appointments necessary.

Cancellations

The dental hygiene student has numerous clinical requirements to fulfill. They depend on YOU to help them in fulfilling these clinical requirements. If for some reason you cannot keep your appointment, please call the clinic at least 24 hours prior to your appointment to reschedule. This courtesy allows the dental hygiene student to give your appointment to another patient. Because of our busy schedule missed appointments, excessive cancellations or tardiness cannot be tolerated. Patients may be dismissed if missed appointments, excessive cancellations or tardiness becomes habitual behavior. The student's learning process and completion of clinic requirements for graduation and board examinations are jeopardized when a patient does not follow through with scheduled appointments. Your cooperation will allow us to better serve you.

Infectious Disease Information

Standard Precautions is an infection control practice that is adhered to in order to prevent and control the spread of infection. All health career students and faculty are required to utilize Standard Precautions when caring for patients and when handling any body fluids or substances. Equipment is protected with barriers and clinicians use gloves, masks, glasses, and fluid resistant apparel to diminish risks of blood borne pathogens being transmitted. Items not protected by barriers are disinfected for every patient and instruments are sterilized. Protocol of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Ohio State Dental Board, Environmental Protection Agency and Center for Disease Control and Prevention is followed.

Your Oral Health

Although the Lakeland Dental Hygiene Clinic is committed to providing you with preventive procedures, we are also committed to partnering with your general dentist for comprehensive dental care. Successful preventive dental healthcare must be maintained on a regular schedule. Due to the dental hygiene students required clinical experience with certain case difficulties, it may mean that it will not be possible to schedule your dental cleanings as frequently as you would like at the Lakeland facility. We encourage you to seek services from your personal dentist when the dental hygiene students are unable to meet your preventive care therapy needs.